


cupid's bow (lips) at work

by glitterjemstone



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Fluff, M/M, Misunderstandings, This is cute, Valentine's Day, Valentine's Day Fluff, awkward boys, card store
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-15
Updated: 2017-02-15
Packaged: 2018-09-24 13:28:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,025
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9737264
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/glitterjemstone/pseuds/glitterjemstone
Summary: Will is working at a card store on Valentine's Day, and Nico would rather be anywhere else. It all turns out okay though, thanks to Cupid, Starbucks, and probably Taylor Swift (just because).





	

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Valentine's Day!!! Here's my contribution, which was actually originally outlined after Valentine's Day last year, and has been sitting in my journal since then until last week when it was finally written. Shout out to my English teacher last year, for being so incredibly boring and bad at her job that I ended up outlining fan fiction in her class. Good job.

_Bitter_. Bitter, unhappy, jealous (not that he would ever tell Piper), exhausted, hungry. All things Nico was feeling as he stood at the entryway of the most obnoxiously pink and heart-covered card store in the entire world. Universe even, if one was feeling extreme, which Nico certainly was. He pulled his black jacket tighter around him, and crossed his arms.

Why couldn’t someone else come along with Piper at 7 o’clock in the morning to buy a stupid card for Jason, you ask? Good question, one Nico had asked at least ten times since he had been woken up half an hour previously.

The list in his mind that Piper had rattled off went like this: “Well Percy and Annabeth rented a beach house for the weekend, drove in last night, you know, and Frank is taking Hazel out for breakfast—,“ “This early? Is he fucking serious?” “Yes, shut up, he’s making it fancy. Leo took off on some lonely, self-discovery road trip, but I think he’s just going to try and pick up a girl. Reyna is like the worst choice ever when it comes to Valentine’s Day help—,“ “And I’m not?” “No, you can be sweet sometimes. I think you have a heart, and I’m still not convinced she has one.” “She does.” “I’ll believe it when I see it.”

That was how Nico ended up in hell. Piper might have called his description of Tia Callida’s Card Store an exaggeration, but it really, really wasn’t. The walls were string up with twisted streamers in bright colors, the card stands were pink, from the ceiling hung decorations of paper hearts that hit you face if you were too tall (Nico just missed them).

“Why do you even need someone here?” Nico asked. Beside him, Piper’s eyes scanned the whole room, carefully looking for the perfect card.

“I need an excuse for Jason, that I’m _having breakfast with you_.” Piper narrowed her eyes. _“Which is exactly what you’ll tell him if he asks you, right?”_

Nico gave her a smile (a fake, forced one, that Nico swore actually hurt) to tell her _Sure, why not?_

Nico turned to look around the room (read: hell) again. For Gods’ sake, the owner had even made their employees wear silly wings on their back and carry small bows around with a single red arrow notched in it (probably with glue, Nico’s mind supplied). It wasn’t even accurate. It was just cheesy. If they really wanted to make the costumes better, they at least needed to not have fairy wings from Party City and cheap plastic.

He decided to walk around anyways, because Piper would probably (definitely) take her time, wanting to get a card that was _just_ right, even though it was just a piece of paper in the end, and would go on the trash within a few weeks (did he mention he was bitter?).

“Hi, can I help you with anything today?” Nico jumped at the sound of someone behind him. He turned around to see a guy with a mop of blond hair and the brightest blue eyes Nico had ever seen. He was wearing an annoying white t-shirt that said “Kiss me, I’m Greek” and had the fairy wings and plastic bow to match.

“What’s with the shirt?” He asked, jerking his head a bit in its direction. The guy’s eyes widened (Nico read his name on his nametag: _Will_ ).

“Do you get it? The employees are supposed to be Cupid, like from Greek myths and stuff.” Will’s eyes shined and his smile took up half his face; he was clearly proud of his humor, like he was being clever with the shirt or something.

“Well, it’s wrong, then,” Nico pointed out.

“No it’s not?” It came out more like a question than a defense, but Will still seemed to be ready to argue this.

“ _Yeah_ , it is. Cupid is Roman,” Nico said. “If we were talking about Greek mythology, it would be Eros.”

“Same thing.” Will huffed.

“ _No_ , not the same thing,” Nico said.

“And I guess you’re an expert, huh?” Will challenged him.

“More than you. I’m studying ancient Greek worship,” Nico informed him, with a distinct _ha!_ in the back of his mind.

Will looked sheepish. He ducked his head away, and if Nico hadn’t known better, he would have bet money on the fact that  Will was blushing. It was probably from embarrassment, though, not anything else. No, certainly not from anything else.

Okay, so it was no secret that Will was tremendously attractive. The gods on Olympus could probably see the halo on Will’s hair as it reflected from bright store lights.

Will jumped, as if scared.

“I’m working! Right, okay, can I actually help you with anything today?” Will said in a rush. Nico gave him a weird look, maybe a glare, but he was finding it hard to glare at this guy. Will jumped right into character though, leaning into Nico and lifting his plastic bow up. “Maybe your lucky girl would like a beautiful card, or some romantic sweets from our stand by the counter? I can also wrap a gift if you want it to look good. Anything for a special girl, am I right?”

“Too bad girls aren’t my thing.” Nico raised his eyebrows at Will before he turned away and began walking down the isle right next to him, where Piper was carefully flipping through envelopes.

Will scrambled to get in front of him, stopping him with a hand on his chest (Nico glared, Will put his hand down, Nico was almost sad).

“Oh gosh, I am _so_ sorry, I totally messed up there, it’s just they gave us these scripts? With lines to say around Valentine’s Day? And I wasn’t even thinking, no one ever corrects me, and it's my job, y’know—,” Will stuttered. “I mean, really, it’s quite hypocritical of me, considering I…”

Will trailed off, looking at the ground, while Nico just stared incredulously. Okay…. so funny twist of events, Nico has met a gorgeous guy, who blushes and smiles like angels are singing, and who also happens to be  _not straight_. He didn’t want to dwell on this too much, otherwise he knew he’d other think it, let himself come up with ideas of fate and perfect first-meetings. It was _Valentine’s Day_. Was the Universe _telling_ him to delude himself?

Will still wasn’t meeting his eyes when Piper turned and saw them, mid-awkward-standoff of some kind, nobody talking or making eye contact. Just... standing.

Without even looking, Nico knew the look on her face. She was smirking, with a gleam in her eyes like _I know exactly what is going on_ , even if Nico had no idea. She was perceptive like that. She could read people or situations so easily.

She walked slowly towards him, and finally Will looked up and mouthed ‘sorry’. Nico shrugged, and thank gods Piper was finally close enough that he could grab her shoulder. He did, and then yanked her towards the counter (decorated with cardboard stands of Cupid and hearts). An employee rung her up, and Nico tapped his foot impatiently the entire time. A few minutes later, he dragged her out of the store as she laughed (“You _like_ him!” “I don’t even know him!” “Attraction has no logic.”), and didn’t look back for even a second (he tell himself this, but he knows he threw a glance over his shoulder and saw Will watching him leave).

**

The next day after the card store fiasco, Nico is at work. Valentine’s Day had gone smoothly for everyone (he guesses he’s included in that), and now the holiday could be forgotten for another long year.

He punches in an order and hands a customer back his change, forcing a strained smile on his face. “Come again soon.”

Yeah, Nico hates his job, but Starbucks was close to his apartment and they paid well (that was untrue, they paid no more than that job at the mall, but he hated the mall, so, here he is, wearing a black cap, a green apron, and a metal nametag pinned to his chest spelling out his name in his messy scrawl).

The bell above the door chimes, and Nico looks up at the sound. _Unbelievable_ ; like, Nico actually thought he was seeing things, seeing things he _maybe_ wanted to see. In walks Will from the card store, sunshine blond hair (with the halo, was it permanent? Nico would believe it), crystal blue eyes, cupid bow lips, and a constellation of freckles smattered across his cheeks.

Will zeros in on Nico from the front of the building. His face breaks into a grin, one that makes Nico’s heart does a flip (which he pointedly ignores) and has him fighting off a smile of his own.

Will confidently strides across the room and up to the counter, leaning his elbows against the counter and bringing his face forward.

“Fancy seeing you here,” Will greets him.

“I guess so,” Nico responds, trying to sounds bored, uninterested, as if he does not feel the tiniest bit giddy at the sound of Will’s voice (dear Universe, when did he become the type of person to believe in love at first sight?). “Can I get you something?” He picks up a cup and uncaps a pen to write on it.

“Yeah,” Will places his order, and smirks. “You don’t strike me as a Starbucks-employee kind-of-guy.”

“It’s an easy job.” Nico shrugs, passing the cup to the next employee. Will hands him a bill, and Nico handles the transaction quickly. Will doesn’t move and Nico looks up just to be assaulted by his bright blue eyes (did anyone ever get used to those, or did all of his friends feel like passing out when they looked into Will’s eyes?)

“You gonna go?” Nico nods his head in the direction of the next counter, biting his lip.

“Yeah.” Will smiles, but doesn’t make a move to go. A (stupid) blond curl falls in front of his eyes, and Will blows upwards to put it back in his place (it doesn’t work, Nico is infuriated). Nico raises his eyebrows.

“I have other orders to take, sunshine.” Nico says. Will suddenly looks bashful and ecstatic at the same time.

“Sunshine, huh?” He says as he slips away to the next counter. Nico is left staring at his back before the next costumer starts to speak.

Too quickly, Will’s order is called and he takes it in his hand. Nico looks away from his seventh (at least) glance over in the past few minutes, and when he looks up again, Will is standing in front of him, drink outstretched in his freckled hand.

“I think you got it wrong.” He explains, waving the drink closer to Nico’s face. Nico scowls (he may hate this job but he never writes an order down wrong, he’ll have you know) and swipes it from him. For a split second, their fingers touch, and Nico is reminded of every cheesy romantic comedy ever, and wonders if he should feel some kind of instant connection, some form of sparks he hasn’t already felt for Will.

He looks at what he’s written on the side of the cup, blushing up to his ears once he realizes what he’s looking at. A ten-digit number is scrawled in blue sharpie under where he’s written the abbreviation for Will’s order.

 _This is Will’s number._ It must be.

“W-what is this?” He stammers, and looks at Will. Will is smiling, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. He, too, has a light pink blush creeping up his cheeks, and Nico has to hold his tongue before he blurts out how adorable it looks.

“Maybe you’ll call me sometime?” Will asks, and he genuinely looks like it’s a question. Like Nico could say no, like anyone could say no to him ( _As if_ ).

Nico can feel himself smile so wide it hurts, and he can’t remember when the last time he felt like this was. _Never_.

He feels like this is the start of something good.

He nods.


End file.
